Chick-fil-A Nuggets (Copycat)

Chick-fil-A Nuggets made with chicken breast meat and no pickle juice are an spot on copycat of the original nuggets without the hefty price tag!

Chick-fil-A Nuggets are a sore subject in our house because we are evenly divided between these nuggets and KFC popcorn chicken. As a mom, when we’re out and about to stop in a fast food option I tend to go with Chick-fil-A or In-n-Out just for small wins that make me feel like at least they seem freshest.

Chick-fil-A has become our non-burger favorite spot. It also helps that they make the best lemonade of all time (recipe coming soon). One of my only frustrations with them is the lines and the cost. Anytime we go there is a giant line in the drive-thru and with little kids in the car my patience is usually shorter than the wait.

So when we buy these chicken nuggets I also drive through to get popcorn chicken to avoid hearing about the “I don’t like sweet nuggets” from the peanut gallery. Yes, Chick-fil-A nuggets have a hint of sweetness in them (recreated here with powdered sugar), I personally like them but given my options I would probably choose a less sweetened version of chicken nuggets.

How do you make homemade chicken nuggets? In some cases the chicken meat is ground and added with other ingredients, but Chick-fil-A actually uses chicken breast meat that is cut to 1″ chunks.

How does Chick Fil A make their chicken? There is debate between pickle juice and no pickle juice. I’ve spoken to friends who used to work at an actual Chick-fil-A and the evidence I’ve been given is NO pickle juice. In recipe testing I did it both way and the current recipe below is what you are looking for, keep the pickle juice away.

What is in the Chick fil a sauce? That is coming next week! I love the dipping sauce!

Tools Used in the making of these Chick-fil-A Nuggets:Lodge Cast Dutch Oven: – I use this dutch oven for a lot of frying and braising.Pig Tail Flipper: – I use this *almost* more than I use tongs in the kitchen. Flipping is so quick and doesn’t smash foods.Spider Strainer: Love these strainers for quickly draining oil away and scooping out fried food.Breadcrumbs: Great plain breadcrumbs, I normally use panko, but for this recipe I recommend these.Breading Station: I use this because the pans are wide with a flat bottom. If you have small rectangular plates use those, I wouldn’t use curved bowls for breading stations as it could knock some breading off.